Friday, June 21, 2013

#7QT: Oh the Shame, the Shame, the Shame

There is a skit by Irish comedian Dylan Moran on shame which uses a brilliant [take-it-with-a-grain-of-comedic-sea-salt] analogy comparing the eating of biscuits between Protestants and Catholics. It is a great Robison family favorite:

"Oh, I can't tell which is nicer, the biscuits or the shame!"
I've been feeling a lot of shame lately between all my commitments and projects and moving and pregnancy and just being there as a member of my family. It's been a really hard balance, and I'm thankful you readers are still here as I write other things more than blog posts, like thank you cards and freelance.

I had my gestational diabetes test done today. My doctor allowed me to eat yogurt beforehand since I still get so nauseous in the morning, but the sugary drink I had 5 minutes to down didn't help with that. I brought work to do, and ended up curled up on my side in the room instead. This pregnancy has certainly given me more to be thankful for, especially my health. I may feel sick and need to sleep way more than usual, but I am still doing well and am a low-risk pregnancy!

I am really going to miss my OB doctor and the staff. My doctor is kind, professional, and I feel extremely comfortable with her. I would have loved to have her deliver Bebe! The staff loves to chat with me and ask about updates - mostly because my FIL is another OB in the officer, I'm sure, but also because they are just as genial and caring.

My #1 task upon moving South: new OB! Well, and unpacking. And maybe going on a cemetery tour and exploring the French Quarter!

THREE

Today is our six months of marriage mark!!!! How exciting. Just to re-cap:

I am getting to the end of Robert Penn Warren's 'All the King's Men' and it is just thrilling.

“For the truth is a terrible thing. You dabble your foot in it and it is nothing. But you walk a little farther and you feel it pull you like an undertow or a whirlpool. First there is the slow pull so steady and gradual you scarcely notice it, then the acceleration, then the dizzy whirl and plunge into darkness. For there is a blackness of truth, too. They say it is a terrible thing to fall into the Grace of God. I am prepared to believe that.”

The book is long, extremely well-written, an investment of time and intellect, and worth savoring every word and story. The character of Jack Burton is flawed, smart, introspective, cunning, and just.

Okay, here’s my advice to you (and young journalists in general):1. You basically have to be willing to devote your life to journalism if you want to break in. Treat it like it’s medical school or law school.2. When interviewing for a job, tell the editor how you love to report. How your passion is gathering information. Do not mention how you want to be a writer, use the word “prose,” or that deep down you have a sinking suspicion you are the next Norman Mailer.3. Be prepared to do a lot of things for free. This sucks, and it’s unfair, and it gives rich kids an edge. But it’s also the reality.4. When writing for a mass audience, put a fact in every sentence.5. Also, keep the stories simple and to the point, at least at first.6. You should have a blog and be following journalists you like on Twitter.7. If there’s a publication you want to work for or write for, cold call the editors and/or email them. This can work.8. By the second sentence of a pitch, the entirety of the story should be explained. (In other words, if you can’t come up with a rough headline for your story idea, it’s going to be a challenge to get it published.)9. Mainly you really have to love writing and reporting. Like it’s more important to you than anything else in your life—family, friends, social life, whatever.10. Learn to embrace rejection as part of the gig. Keep writing/pitching/reading.

Last weekend in Ohio for a while... I'll miss home! I'll miss my big family, taking the dogs to the dog park and hanging with our cats, walking to and from work, my family eating dinner together, walking around the neighborhood, coffee and play dates with the kids, the best job I've ever had, and the familiar.